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1816IIHF News from www.iifh.comTYPO3 - get.content.righthttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssFri, 31 Jul 2015 11:59:00 +0200Record-setting finalhttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6999
28 million Russians watched gold medal gameKomsomolskaya Pravda reports that 26 million Russians watched the final game of the tournament, which set a new record for hockey broadcasting in the country. The previous record TV rating was 25 million viewers set in the gold medal game of the 2010 World Championship between Russia and the Czech Republic.

In comparison, the highest TV rating in Russia for a football match in the last 12 months has been 18 million.

The average market share was 48 per cent. It peaked around 60 per cent for the final stages of the game and the prize ceremony.

The gold medal game on Sunday became the most-watched sport event and the second-most watched TV program ever in Slovakia.

1.788 million Slovaks watched the gold medal game on STV, which represented a market share of 72.7 per cent.]]>WorldsMen2012 WM15 Russia16 Slovakiaon rightThu, 24 May 2012 18:16:00 +0200Top Worlds Momentshttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6997
Finland/Sweden 2012 was replete with great memories1. Malkin wins scoring title on final shotAt first blush it might not seem like a big deal, but when Yevgeni Malkin scored the final goal of the 2012 World Championship with just 1:58 left in the final period, he made history. Or, at least, tied history. That goal gave him 19 points, one more than Norway’s Patrick Thoresen, giving him the scoring title outright. In so doing, Malkin became only the second player ever to lead the NHL in scoring and then the Worlds in points in the same season. Wayne Gretzky had done the trick in 1981-82.

2. Opera singersOne of the greatest qualities of IIHF events is travelling to different countries to watch the games. Each country brings its own culture to the hosting, and the Finns did something unique and special, thanks to a new venture by the IIHF. For the first time, both teams’ national anthems were played prior to each round-robin game rather than having only the winner’s anthem played after the game. For all Finland games at Hartwall Arena, local opera singers sung the visitor’s and Finnish anthems, a magical recitation that goes down as unique to this event along with the light show before each game.

3. Borg sightingThere are superstars and legends, and then there are the sporting gods. Sweden’s Björn Borg is at the head table with the gods, and his presence reverberated throughout the Globen when he attended two games, the first, against Norway, on opening night, and then several days later the Sweden-Russia game.

4. Canada-Slovakia quarter-finalsPerhaps never before has the quarter-finals produced three more remarkable games than this year. And the fourth, a 5-2 Russia win over Norway, was undecided after 40 minutes when teams were tied 2-2. The first playoff game, though, featured Canada and Slovakia. The Slovaks jumped into an early 2-0 only to have the persistent Canadians storm back and take a 3-2 lead. But the Slovaks scored two late goals to win, eliminating Canada and removing the only three players who could have joined the Triple Gold Club this year – Corey Perry, Duncan Keith, and Ryan Getzlaf.

5. Finland-United States quarter-finalsFor anyone who thought the Slovaks provided their fans with late-game heroics, they had loads of time compared to the Finns. The Americans had humbled the hosts by a 5-0 count in the round robin and were leading 2-1 late in the third period of this elimination game when the home side produced an incredible rally. First, Mikko Koivu tied the game with just 6:58 remaining to set up what looked to be an overtime finish, but then with just 8.8 seconds left in regulation, Jesse Joensuu knocked in a puck from the crease to give the Finns an incredible victory and send the stunned Americans home early again.

6. Czech Republic-Sweden quarter-finalThe final quarter-finals game of the night featured a little bit of the other two games. The Swedes scored early, but the Czechs took a commanding 3-1 lead only to see Tre Kronor tie the game early in the third. But just when another OT looked imminent, Milan Michalek walked out of the corner and roofed a shot with only 30 seconds remaining to advance the Czechs to the semi-finals with a 4-3 win.

7. Slovakia-France play a surprisingly meaningful gameThe last day of the round robin in Helsinki saw these two teams play in what was certainly going to be a meaningless game by pre-tournament estimates. Nope. In fact, the winner would advance to the playoffs and the loser would go home. The Slovaks were overwhelming favourites but couldn’t put the game away. They went up 2-0; France tied. They led 3-2, and 4-3, and France tied each time. Finally, midway through the third, Brank Radivojevic made it 5-4 – and the Slovaks held on for the win.

8. Chara honours DemitraRarely does it feel like both teams were winners on gold medal day, but the Russians were so good this year and the Slovaks such a surprising story that justice seemed to have been served. Despite the loss in the finals, Slovakia made fans through their enthusiasm and persistence, and before the medals were handed out captain Zdeno Chara donned a Pavol Demitra sweater backwards, so the nameplate was visible on front. Demitra had perished in the Yaroslavl plane crash nearly a year earlier, and Chara wanted to honour his great teammate and friend.

9. Russians overwhelm SwedenThe Russia-Sweden game in Stockholm during the round robin was shaping up as a gem. It was 3-3 after two periods, and a classic ending seemed certain. But this Russian team was just too good, swarming the Swedes with four impressive and unanswered goals to win in a cakewalk, 7-3. Malkin led the way with a hat trick and two assists, his five-point night coming against a medal contender.

10. Jan LacoBefore this tournament, Slovak goalie Jan Laco was an itinerant puckstopper of little repute. By the end, he was named IIHF Directorate Best Goalie and had established himself as a late blooming sensation. The 30-year-old was making his WM debut and played in nine of the team’s ten games, recording a 2.17 GAA.

11. Sacha Treille felt commitment against head hitsFrench forward Sacha Treille delivered a vicious elbow to the head of the Kazakhs’ Roman Starchenko, taking Starchenko out of the tournament with a serious concussion. The IIHF’s Disciplinary Panel stepped in and suspended Treille for the balance of the tournament (five games), the most severe banishment for an on-ice incident and further emphasizing the IIHF’s commitment to clean, safe hockey.

12. Patrick ThoresenWho could have predicted this unassuming Norwegian would take the tournament by storm? He had 18 points, second only to Malkin, including an historic six-point night in a 12-4 smothering of Germany. Thoresen was named to the end-of-tournament all-star team, the first Norwegian so honoured in IIHF history.

13. Gold medal refereeingQuick – who were the referees in the gold-medal game? No one remembers. They were invisible, not worth mentioning, not even part of the game story. And that’s exactly why they were brilliant. Brent Reiber and Antonin Jerabek called exactly three minor penalties all game, the first coming near the end of the second period. And the players, with gold on the line, responded. There were no dirty hits, no cheap shots, no pushing and shoving after whistles. It was a game of speed and skill. And the refs are partly to thank for that.

14. IIHF Hall of Fame inductionIt’s impossible to praise one group of Hall of Famers at the expense of any other, but surely the Class of 2012 must go down as one of the finest ever to be honoured by the IIHF. Players included Pavel Bure, Milan Novy, Raimo Helminen, and Phil Housley. The Builder was Andy Murray and the Paul Loicq Award went to Nike’s Kent Angus. And, the IIHF introduced its new Milestone Award, given to Teams Canada and Soviet Union for their defining, eight-game Summit Series in 1972.

15. New formatThe IIHF’s new format wasn’t perfect, but it did generate some great games on the final days of the tournament and generated new enthusiasm for round-robin play in which fans can see their team face off against every other at least once. And, it produced three incredible quarter-finals games which are now memorable moments in IIHF World Championship history.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

]]>on topWorldsMen2012 WMon lefton rightThu, 24 May 2012 10:27:00 +0200One final, two winnershttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6996
Fans celebrate their heroes in Moscow – and BratislavaThe result was very clear on Sunday evening at Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena: 6-2. There was no arguing about who deserved the gold medals more, about goals, hits or calls. Russia dominated the event from the first puck drop in Stockholm until the celebrations in Helsinki.

The Russian team celebrated the world title on Sunday night in the dressing room “like a Brazilian carnival”, reported Sovietski Sport.

Sport-Express compared the team to Germany in football. “Probably the Soviet national team in the era of Viktor Tikhonov played more brilliantly, but this team played more properly organized than ever before. It was machine-like with a pedantic coach doing the right setup.”

At the same time Russia won gold, fans celebrated at the Tverskaya street in downtown Moscow and drove through the streets with flag-decorated cars. And the ones who had the chance to be in Helsinki celebrated in the centre of the Finnish capital that was draped in blue-white-red by many Russian and Slovak fans.

President Vladimir Putin called coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov after the game. “We are proud of you. Now all Moscow is awake enjoying the gold medal,” Putin said according to Bilyaletdinov.

Already the same night the team flew back to Russia. It took some time until the plane could leave for undisclosed reasons, but fans drove to the Sheremetyevo Airport early to wait patiently and welcome their heroes with “Rossiya chempion!” chants and singing the national anthem.

At 8:03am the airport finally announced the good news that the charter flight 9606 had landed. The players hugged their beloved ones before signing autographs, posing for photos with fans and talking to reporters with more than ten camera teams in attendance.

Putin also invited Bilyletdinov to his office on Monday to congratulate the first-year national team coach and the entire team.

“You gave us a magnificent victory that has made the whole country very happy,” Putin said according to the official protocol. “It was not even so much the team’s play we watched with such pleasure as the battle they fought to clinch the champion’s title. I am sure that many people appreciated the skill and spirit that our players showed.

“It’s wonderful that it all worked out. I cannot remember an occasion when a championship has gone so well, without a single glitch, not one, and not just winning the games, but winning with very good results. They really worked like a well-oiled machine,” Putin said.

“The team did indeed show its spirit and showed that it really is a team,” replied Bilyaletdinov. “The players gave the best and took each game seriously. There were no ‘easy games’ – they gave it all on every occasion. I thanked them and passed on your congratulations.”

Sports Minister Vitali Mutko announced that the 17 players who became world champion for the first time will receive the “Merited Master of Sport” rank.

Silver heroes parade through Bratislava

What comes more as a surprise than the celebrations and honouring in Moscow happened in Bratislava. When was the last time a hockey team was welcomed like world champions after taking home the silver medals?

That’s exactly what happened on Monday when the Slovak national team arrived home to hoist the commemorative plate for the silver-medal win and the medals around their neck at the Slovak National Uprising Square (Námestie Slovenského národného povstania) in front of tens of thousands of fans.

Their charter plane landed in Bratislava at 13:53 where hundred fans were already waiting, but the big party followed in a parade through the city centre.

If you can’t believe it, check out this video. It’s from 2012, not 2002 when the Slovaks won their first and so far only world title.

Also the TV ratings were impressive. 1.788 million Slovaks watched the gold medal game on STV, which represented a market share of 72.7% and the second-highest TV rating ever in Slovakia.

“It’s like a dream. Fans appreciated how much we have done to win these medals,” captain Zdeno Chara told SITA. “We had to battle really hard to get to the final. We’re pleased that we made so many people happy.”

It was the biggest guy got the biggest applause from the crowd.

Miroslav Satan was happy to share the great performance with the fans ten years after winning the World Championship. “You can see in the faces of the people how happy they are,” Satan said. “It’s great that hockey is a phenomenon that links the Slovaks together.”

Yaroslavl victims commemorated on both sides

Winning the 2012 medals was not only a time of celebrations, but also of commemoration. When asked about to whom the victory was dedicated to, coach Bilyaletdinov and his players replied the victims of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl airplane crash last autumn. And Slovak captain Zdeno Chara wore a jersey backwards at the prize ceremony with Pavol Demitra’s name and number 38. Demitra was one of the players who died in the tragedy.

MARTIN MERK]]>on topWorldsMen2012 WMon top15 Russia16 Slovakiaon lefton rightTue, 22 May 2012 18:22:00 +0200Russia cements top rankinghttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6995
Although positions may change in 2013, seeding for Sochi staysThe IIHF World Ranking system was calculated for the first time in 2003, but officially introduced and released after the 2004 IIHF World Championship in Czech Republic.

Click here for the final 2012 men’s IIHF World Ranking.

In the eleven official men’s World Rankings since it was introduced, only three countries have been Number One:

Canada: Four times (2004, 2005, 2008, post-Olympic 2010)

Sweden: Three times (post-Olympic & post-Worlds 2006, 2007)

Russia: Four times (2009, post-Worlds 2010, 2011, 2012)

The official annual World Ranking is normally calculated after the conclusion of the World Championship. The only exceptions are the Olympic years where the IIHF also releases a World Ranking immediately following the Olympic tournament.

This consequently means that the Olympic years (so far 2006 and 2010) have been the only ones where two official World Rankings have been released, one in February and one in May.

Before 2004, the IIHF World Ranking was simply based on the final placing in the last World Championship. The IIHF realized that it was not entirely fair as an uncharacteristically poor showing in one tournament could see a country slip from, for example, first to seventh position from one year to another.

To give the World Ranking more depth, a system was introduced which is based on awarding points for the final positions in the last four IIHF World Championships and in the last Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament.

To have the ranking accurately reflect current performance, most importance is given to results of the last competition. To a lesser degree (annual point decline by 25 per cent) attention is also paid to results from previous years.

Click here for an explanation of the World Ranking formula.

So in the nine years in which the system has existed we have seen a gradual movement from an early Canadian dominance, to Sweden’s ascendancy around 2006 to Russia’s domination after 2009. The only out-of-the-line top ranking was Canada’s short time as Number One after the win at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, when it also enjoyed the highest ever point total for a Number One – 4105.

That number consequently reflected not only the Olympic gold medal, but it also carried the value from the 2007 Worlds gold in Moscow and the silver positions from 2008 and 2009.

Sweden is the only other nation which was the number one rank with 4000 points or more. They earned 4095 points after winning gold in the 2006 Olympics in Turin and completing the historic double in Riga three months later.

The current 2012 World Ranking will also serve as the seeding of the groups for the Sochi Olympics 2014, despite that the ranking may change after the next year’s World Championship.

“We need two seasons to complete the Olympic qualifications as teams ranked as low as thirty-three have applied for a chance to qualify,” says Fitzpatrick. “This means that we will need to start the qualification process already in autumn of 2012, with the final qualifications being played in February 2013 which is a condition from the IOC.”

“As the qualifications are part of the Olympic competition structure, we must freeze the Olympic ranking before the qualifications for Sochi begin this upcoming autumn.”

Click here for a complete overview of the Olympic format including qualifications.

The men’s groups in Sochi 2014, generated by the 2012 IIHF World Ranking, will be as follows:

Click here for the groups of the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

]]>on topWorldsMen2012 WMon top15 Russiaon lefton lefton rightTue, 22 May 2012 15:22:00 +0200Russia the new ice hockey world champion – Yevgeni Malkin MVP at IIHF WMhttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6991
Russia beats Slovakia 6:2 in WM final. ŠKODA CEO Winfried Vahland presents most valuable player...Russia is the new ice hockey world champion, the “Sbornaya” having beaten surprise finalist Slovakia 6:2. Yevgeni Malkin of Russia’s world championship team was recognised as the WM’s most valuable player and was presented with the attendant trophy by Winfried Vahland, CEO of WM main sponsor ŠKODA at the closing ceremony. ŠKODA says it is very satisfied with its sponsorship of the 76th IIHF ice hockey WM in Finland and Sweden.

13.242 visitors in a sold out Hartwall arena in Helsinki saw a final match in which the Russian ice hockey national team first fell behind 0:1, then made a strong showing and eventually trounced surprise finalist Slovakia 6:2. Before that, the Czech Republic had beaten Finland in the match for third place, securing bronze medals for its team. Yevgeni Malkin of Russia was named the tournament’s “most valuable player”. He was presented with the trophy by Winfried Vahland, CEO of WM main sponsor ŠKODA, at the awards ceremony.

Vahland himself had been presented with an award at the finals weekend for the 20th jubilee of ŠKODA’s main sponsorship of the IIHF ice hockey WM, presented by René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation and Philippe Blatter, president and CEO of IIHF marketing partners Infront Sports & Media. ŠKODA’s support of IIHF WM is considered the longest running main sponsorship in the history of sports world championships and has even been recognised as a GUINNESS world record.

Following the finals, Vahland said ŠKODA was very satisfied with the WM: “The championship’s innovative concept of holding the event in two countries in parallel has been an utter success. We are delighted that our support has contributed to making it possible to offer great action by lots of ice hockey superstars to fans in the stadiums, in front of TV screens and on the internet. This sport’s dynamic character fits perfectly with ŠKODA, and the worldwide attention which we were able to gather with our brand’s appearance at the WM via TV and digital media will help us advance on our growth course in international markets. The way these two weeks have played out in Finland and Sweden has shown yet again what kind of enthusiasm this sports arouses in its fans.”

Over 650 million TV spectators worldwide and 451,054 visitors in the arenas watched the games at the IIHF WM in Finland and Sweden. The official YouTube channel sponsored by ŠKODA, with its offering of live and on-demand streams, game wrap-ups and associated coverage recorded two million visits worldwide. More than 150,000 users worldwide downloaded the free “2012 IIHF WM App powered by ŠKODA” smartphone app for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users.]]>2012 WM Skodaon rightMon, 21 May 2012 11:25:00 +0200Golden glory for Russia!http://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6797
Syomin pots pair as Russians claim first title since ‘09Click here for a video with post-game comments.

It was the Russians' first gold since Switzerland 2009. Reflecting their renewed hockey superpower status, they became the first champions to win all their games in regulation since the 1989 Soviets, who also won 10 straight.

This is arguably the strongest outing by any senior-level Russian national team since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russia now boasts 26 gold medals all-time, four in the post-USSR era.

Alexander Syomin shone with a pair of goals and an assist. Linemate Pavel Datsyuk added a goal and two assists, while Alexander Ovechkin, the other member of this all-NHL troika, had two helpers. Tournament scoring leader Yevgeni Malkin, who was also named Best Forward and MVP, also tallied for Russia, along with Alexander Perezhogin and Alexei Tereshenko.

"As soon as the whistle went to start the game, we believed we could win," said Datsyuk.

Zdeno Chara, the Norris Trophy-winning defenceman who was deservedly named a 2012 tournament all-star, scored twice for Slovakia.

"We were disappointed to lose the game, but not in how we finished the tournament," said Chara. "It's a privilege to play in the final and I tried to tell the guys to enjoy the moment. You never know when you get a chance to do that again."

The Russians won their third world title in the last five years. The last team to do that was Canada (2003, 2004, 2007). Russia and the Soviet Union now combine for 26 World Championships.

The golden Russians have sealed their spot atop the 2012 IIHF World Rankings, and also wrapped up the top seeding for the 2014 Olympics on home ice in Sochi. The triumph puts head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov on the fast track to take the reins at what will be the most prestigious event in Russian winter sports history.

"We were prepared for the final game," said Bilyaletdinov. "I reminded my team that the Slovak team is very strong. It won against the Czechs, against Canada. We played really well throughout the whole championship."

"The coach is really important for us," said Ovechkin. "The whole atmosphere, the whole system. Everybody understood what we have to do to win. Everybody likes him and plays with heart. He's the best coach in Russia right now. I'm really proud to play for him."

"It was a good tournament for us," said Nikolai Kulyomin. "We played like a team, every game, every shift."

The Slovaks, who saw their Cinderella run come to an abrupt end, put in a valiant effort. But they simply couldn’t keep up with a Russian squad that worked just as hard, but had superior skill and the ability to capitalize ruthlessly on mistakes.

Malkin finished with 19 points, becoming the first Art Ross Trophy winner to top the Worlds points derby in the same season since Wayne Gretzky (1982). (Malkin tallied 109 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.) This was his first gold medal in seven senior-level IIHF tournaments (five Worlds, two Olympics).

Russian starting goalie Semyon Varlamov was solid as Russia outshot Slovakia 42-31. "I learned a lot from this tournament, but it was my second championship," Varlamov said. "Right now, we have the gold medal, and I feel good."

The Slovaks fell short in their bid for their first World Championship title since Sweden 2002, the only time they've won this tournament. (That final victory, 4-3, came at Russia's expense.)

Nonetheless, silver is a tremendous accomplishment for a nation that entered the tournament seeded tenth in the IIHF World Ranking and finished tenth on home ice last year. Slovakia hadn’t captured a medal since 2003’s bronze.

"All the players had a fantastic performance at this tournament," said head coach Vladimir Vujtek. "Slovakia had to wait nine years to win a medal."

"It's a big day for Slovak hockey, and we can be proud," said forward Mario Bliznak. "Without big stars we showed heart, so the future looks good."

Miroslav Satan now becomes the first Slovak player to own four IIHF World Championship medals (silver 2000, gold 2002, bronze 2003, silver 2012).

Slovakia couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game.

Seconds after Ovechkin took a run at Chara (reminiscent of their battles in the recent Washington-Boston series), the huge Slovak blueliner opened the scoring on a blast from the right point at 1:06. Chara’s slapshot was clocked at a record-setting 175 kilometres an hour (108.8 miles) at the 2012 NHL All-Star game, and he got plenty on this one, which sailed past Ovechkin and beat Varlamov high on the blocker side.

"It was early in the game, and we knew it wouldn't be enough," Chara said.

Near the halfway mark of the period, Russian captain Ilya Nikulin spotted Malkin open to the left of Slovak netminder Jan Laco, and defenceman Ivan Baranka made a tremendous play, blocking Malkin’s shot with his stick.

The Russians tied it at 9:57 on the rush, with Ovechkin making amends for his earlier miscue. Taking a pass from Datsyuk, Ovechkin exploded into the Slovak zone on left wing and threw a beautiful backhand pass through the legs of Rene Vydareny on to the stick of Syomin, who zipped it in through Laco’s five-hole.

The Russians went up 2-1 at 6:10 of the second period, when Alexander Popov cut to the net from behind the goal line and Laco sprawled to poke the puck away from him, leaving Perezhogin to backhand it into the gaping cage. The combined bulk of Chara and Tomas Surovy on the goal line couldn’t keep it out.

At 13:31, Russia made it 3-1 with a vintage, old Soviet-style passing play. Capitalizing on a turnover inside the Slovak blueline, Nikita Zherdev sent the puck cross-ice to Tereshenko, who then worked a give-and-go perfectly with Sergei Shirokov before sliding it inside Laco’s right post.

The Russian fans among the 13,242 in attendance exulted, chanting “Rossiya!” to the beat of the goal-celebration song, KISS’s 1980’s hit “Heaven’s On Fire”.

Turnovers continued to plague Slovakia. Datsyuk, the NHL’s king of takeaways, stripped Baranka inside the blueline and found Syomin all alone in front of Laco. Syomin made no mistake, feinting before whipping the puck into the top corner on his forehand at 15:22.

The NHL line struck again to make it 5-1 at 3:55 of the third, with Datsyuk beating Laco five-hole on a Gretzky-like set-up from behind the net by Syomin. There was no hope of a Slovak comeback anymore, even though they tried to shake things up by pulling Laco in favour of backup Peter Hamerlik.

Even when Chara pinched in to beat Varlamov from close range at 9:37, with Ovechkin serving Russia’s first penalty for a slash, it was just a chance for the Slovak fans to cheer a bit more for their team, whose urgency commendably didn’t slacken despite their dire situation.

Malkin put an exclamation point on Russia's victory when he barged in over the blueline and hammered a slapshot past Hamerlik to make it 6-2 with 1:57 left.

"We fought hard, but they were just better," said Slovakia's Michal Sersen of the Russians. "They didn't let us do anything."

"We played very hard the whole tournament and we have no regrets," said Chara.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Russians leaped over the boards, shedding their sticks and gloves and bounced up and down in a joyful embrace that dislodged Varlamov's net. Moments later, the team grabbed Bilyaletdinov next to their bench and exultantly tossed him up in the air and caught him several times.

"It's hard to win the Stanley Cup every year," said Datsyuk. "My Cup is that we won gold here."

During the silver medal presentation, Chara donned a special jersey that bore the name and number 38 of Pavol Demitra. The great Slovak forward, who captained the national team in 2011 in Bratislava, passed away last year in the tragic Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash. Bilyaletdinov mentioned at the post-game press conference that his team's victory was dedicated to the victims of that incident.

The Russians accepted their gold medals from Russian Ice Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretiak, who beamingly hugged each of his players. They posed for a jubilant team photo before belting out their national anthem and doing a victory lap with the World Championship trophy, led by Ovechkin and Syomin, who flourished a huge Russian flag. The Slovaks took time to circle the ice too, clapping for their fans.

With the result, Russia’s all-time record against Slovakia at this tournament dating back to 1996 improved to six wins, three ties and three losses.

The Russians will kick off their defence of their title at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in May 2013. With the tournament co-hosted again by Finland and Sweden, Slovakia and Russia will play their round-robin games in Helsinki and aim to make the finals in Stockholm.

LUCAS AYKROYD]]>2012 WMGame Recapson topWorldsMenon topon top15 Russia16 Slovakiaon leftSun, 20 May 2012 21:30:00 +0200Malkin wins MVP honourshttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6990
Awards winners, All-Star Team selectedMalkin also made it to the World Championship All-Star Team for the third time after 2007 and 2010. The Russian had 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) throughout the tournament to win the scoring title before surprising Norwegian forward Patrick Thoresen, who had seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. Thoresen and Sweden’s Henrik Zetterberg also made it to the All-Star Team.

Thoresen became the first Norwegian ever to be on an All-Star Team in a top division event of any category.

Slovakia’s Jan Laco was named to the All-Star Team and won the award as Best Goalkeeper of the event. The 30-year-old was in the goal for most of the time in his first IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and helped his team advance to the gold medal game. He was close behind Russia’s Semyon Varlamov (93.99%) in save percentage with 93.55% prior to the gold medal game.

Slovak giant Zdeno Chara was voted Best Defenceman and named to the All-Star Team along with Russian back Ilya Nikulin.

]]>WorldsMen2012 WM16 Slovakia15 Russia18 Sweden13 Norwayon righton rightSun, 20 May 2012 21:17:00 +0200Czechs take bronzehttp://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6796
Krejci scores game winner, Czechs beat Finland 3-2Finland outshot the Czechs 14-1 in the last period but the Czech defence, led by goaltender Jakub Stepanek, weathered the storm. Stepanek made 34 saves in the game, Davod Krejci got the game winning goal for the Czechs.

Click here for a video with post-game comments.

"It feels pretty good. The loss against Slovakia yesterday hurt. We let the final slip away, but that’s how it goes. At this tournament, it comes down to one game, and it didn’t work for us yesterday. We regrouped pretty well last night and today, and the bronze medal feels pretty good right now," Krejci said.

"We wanted to show our fans all we had. We wanted to finish in a good way. We're proud to be members of the team, but that's sports. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose," said Finnish national team captain Mikko Koivu.

The coaches had taken different approaches to the bronze medal game, played less than 24 hours after the Czech Republic’s semi-final against Slovakia. Alois Hadamczik decided to go with goaltender Jakub Stepanek while Jukka Jalonen had given Petri Vehanen a chance to get back in the saddle, after a disappointing semi-final.

Fittingly for a matinee game, the game flowed from end to end, with both teams giving up - and creating - chances, including wide open chance for Finland’s Jarkko Immonen in front of the net, and a breakaway for Czech Republic’s Petr Tenkrat, but the first one to capitalize on those were the the Czechs.

Petr Prucha redirected Lukas Krajicek’s slap shot from the blueline, the puck hit his own leg, and got deflected into the Finnish net to give the Czechs the lead in the game at 12:17.

"We got a good start and we scored a few quick goals. After that, we just tried to play defence and wait for them in the neutral zone. They almost had to dump every puck. I think we played very well and our goalie played one of his best games. It was a big thing for us," said Michal Frolik.

Four and a half minutes later, Mika Pyörälä scored his first of the tournament, when he went around Krajicek and fired a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot that went through Stepanek's five-hole.

The Czechs struck back in the next shift. Jiri Novotny went around the Finnish net, going for a wraparound, the puck hit Vehanen’s chest protector and in to give the Czechs a 2-1 lead at 17:22 into the period.

And they weren’t done. With 53.8 seconds remaining, David Krejci and Ales Hemsky sent the puck back and forth like on a string, confusing the Finnish defence. Vehanen stretched out to make a save, but Hemsky sent the puck back to Krejci, who had an easy task to snap the puck into a practically empty net.

"The coach put us back with Ales Hemsky on a line and we like to play with the puck. We kind of did a little give-and-go, and it was a pretty easy tap-in for me," Krejci said.

The middle frame was scoreless. The Czechs outshot Finland 12-10, but most of their shots came from the outside, and Vehanen had little trouble making the saves. Stepanek at the other end of the rink was just as solid.

Jakub Nakladal's cross-checking minor halfway through the third period gave Finland their chance to get back into the game. The penalty was just 22 seconds old when Jussi Jokinen took a pass from Mikko Mäenpää on the Czech blueline, snuck between the Czech defence and wired the puck right under the crossbar to make it 3-2, at 9:00.

A minute later, Petr Nedved took a slashing penalty, but the Czechs managed to kill it, and managed to keep the Finns off the score sheet the rest of the way.

"It’s pretty awesome. You want to finish strong in the season, and this was the last game. We tried to win the game, and it always feels better when you win the last game of the season. We did that. It feels great," said Frolik.

This bronze medal game was a matchup between two strong bronze medal game teams: Finland had lost only one of its four bronze medal games (in 2002), the Czechs just two of their six (in 1995 and 2003).

Mikko Koivu's incredible 11-tournament long medal streak got snapped when the hosts finished fourth, tying their best finish at a home tournament. In 1974, the hosts finished fourth, but slipped to fifth both in 1982, 1991, 1997, and 2003. In 1965, the team finished seventh.

RISTO PAKARINEN]]>2012 WMGame Recapson topWorldsMenon topon top04 Czech Republic06 Finlandon leftSun, 20 May 2012 19:59:00 +020020-year anniversaryhttp://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/videos/2012wmskoda/
Video: ŠKODA, IIHF enjoy successful partnership on & off the iceIIHFWorldsMen2012 WMFeatureson lefton lefton lefton righton rightSun, 20 May 2012 19:49:00 +0200Good in 2012, better in 2013http://www.iihf.com/competition/272/news/news-singleview-2012/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6987
IIHF, organizers sum up first co-hosted World ChampionshipIt was the first IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship jointly hosted by two national ice hockey associations. Originally the 2012 event was supposed to be in Finland and the 2013 Worlds in Sweden, but the Congress approved a proposal by the two organizations in 2009 to co-host the event in both years.

Another co-hosted bid might be allowed at the earliest for 2017. The two-year co-hosting has the advantage of enabling the organizers to improve the event when it will takes place at the same venues the following year. In 2013, Stockholm will host the semi-finals and the medal games.

Furthermore, the format was changed for 2012, with two groups consisting of eight teams each in the Preliminary Round. This eliminated the former secondary round, where fans didn’t know in advance when their team would play or against whom.

At a media conference on Sunday prior to the bronze medal game, IIHF President René Fasel saw pluses and minuses with the changes.

“We hope we can do some adjustments during the summer. We also think that the organizers will adjust the price policy,” Fasel said.

After one year of experience in co-hosting, the IIHF President had a positive assessment.

“I think we would have had fewer spectators if we had hosted this tournament in one country,” he said. “I think in the future the two-country format is a good one.”

Fan-friendlier price policy needed

The event will finish with a total official attendance of more than 450,000 spectators – an average of about 7,040 fans in each of the 64 games.

“We had great hockey games and unbelievable fans. In the last games in Helsinki we had games and an atmosphere that was amazing,” Fasel said. “The games didn’t end as expected, which makes sports so wonderful.”

Although the official attendance was the sixth-highest in the long World Championship history, the IIHF expects measures that will decrease the number of empty seats.

“The pricing policy was the wrong one,” Fasel said. “The hosts are going to change the policy for next year, and I’m happy about that.”

Kalervo Kummola, IIHF Vice President and President of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, echoed that promise.

“We made some mistakes in the ticket pricing in the beginning, but I’m quite satisfied with the organization. There haven’t been any complaints from the teams,” Kummola said.

“I can guarantee that we will have more price categories next year and try to fill the arena also during the daytime.”

In addition, Christer Englund, IIHF Council Member and President of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, announced changes for next year.

“We didn’t succeed that well in Sweden with selling tickets,” he said. “Of course we have to look it over for the next year. We have learned a lot and we will prepare in another way for next year.”

Format to be evaluated

Fasel also saw other factors besides ticket prices leading to lower attendances than hoped for. With the format change, planning was made easier for teams and fans, but the number of games increased from 56 to 64 – one more for each team – and the schedule became tighter.

“If we have three games a day and play a game at 12:15 during the week, it’s not easy to fill the arena,” Fasel said. “Respecting our fans, we have to give back to the fans what they missed this year and improve for next year.”

The heavier schedule also made the tournament tougher for the teams. It will be discussed how to react and whether teams should be allowed to have rosters with more than the current 25-player maximum.

“We had a lot of thoughts when we were deciding so,” IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner said about the format, “but we have to accept also the negative points.”

“We have eliminated the unpredictable games in the secondary round of the old format, but we learned that the extra games with the new format are very difficult to sell. We have to review the decision.”

A study with eight target groups was conducted during the tournament to evaluate the new format and the co-hosting of the event. “We think we will have the results by mid or end of June and we will draw the right conclusions,” said Lichtner.

The question of the number of teams

One thing that has been suggested not only this year is to reduce the number of participating teams from 16 to 14.

“It would be more convenient if we had 14 teams and 50 [instead of 64] games,” Kummola said. “Some teams had to play four games in five days, and that’s maybe a little bit too much. I know it’s not easy to change the format. We already have championships assigned until 2016.”

“Playing ten games at this level here is not so easy,” Fasel added. “But reducing the number of teams is a political decision that has to be made by the Congress.”

Positive feedback

In terms of the organization at the venues, IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner was satisfied with what he saw.

“We have had a wonderful tournament with lots of positive elements,” Lichtner said at another media event on Saturday. “We had great volunteer contribution. They did an excellent job, they were smiling and we got positive feedback. The players are an important asset for us and I have to say from the perspective of the players at the arena, the hotels and transportation, there were many positive comments in the directorate meetings.”

Also, the perception of the event outside the arenas was encouraging.

“We have impressive TV numbers. We have had record numbers in some countries,” said Lichtner, who was also happy with recent activity in areas like the Internet, social media and mobile apps.

“We have initiated many things. The world of communications is in a state of constant change, and we are dealing with it,” he said.